IT had nothing to do with the running of Queensland’s biggest race on Saturday when stewards mounted surprise raids on stables said to be linked to controversial racing identity Ben Currie.
A team from the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission is said to have seized phones of a number of licensees while one trainer in Toowoomba who refused to hand over his mobile has reportedly been stood down.
LGHR understands QRIC took action for two reasons:
- They were under mounting pressure from stakeholders, especially on the Sunshine Coast, who claim Ben Currie has been a ‘de facto’ behind-the-scenes trainer since his father Mark retired.
- They are building a case against Currie who was reportedly refused the renewal of his stablehand’s licence and has engaged gun racing lawyer, Jim Murdoch KC, to challenge the decision.
Controversy has ridden shotgun with Ben Currie for most of his career. Once a successful premiership winning trainer, he has struggled to get his license back since a stint on the sidelines.
The latest problems for him occurred after his father, Mark, decided to close the successful family stable in Toowoomba and a satellite one that Ben was running on the Sunshine Coast.
In an effort to ensure that Ben’s involvement with the sport he loves continued, many of the Currie-owned horses were transferred to the Billy Healey stable at the Sunshine Coast after a deal was done for Ben to be the Racing Manager. But that partnership hit more icebergs than the Titanic.
Healey, reportedly concerned that Ben was usurping his training instructions, eventually called a halt to their deal literally before it had got off the launch pad. Ben and his team of horses were left in limbo.
A number of Sunshine Coast trainers took their concerns about Ben Currie to QRIC. They made some serious allegations. Supporters of Ben say some were more worried about the threat his involvement posed to their winning strike rates.
Originally there was talk that a one-time foreperson for Mark Currie would be what many were ‘calling’ a front for Ben to train. But it was learnt that she would only be entitled to a ‘restricted’ license for a stable of 10 horses.
Ben was subsequently linked to Toowoomba trainers Josh Oliver and Luke Duggan. Oliver was stood down by QRIC for refusing to hand over his mobile in yesterday’s raids.
Duggan claimed his was a work mobile ‘depended upon to run his multi-million dollar sand blasting business’. We are unsure whether he was required to hand it over.
The others were told their mobiles would be returned on Monday after being forensically investigated. Most are far from happy.
Many of the Currie horses that were with Healey have joined the David Peoples stables on the Sunshine Coast. One of those started last Sunday but was unsuccessful despite being well backed.
LGHR understands that those licensees who complied with QRIC to hand over their phones during Friday’s mass raids included:
David Peoples, Nick Keal, Brooke Mackie and Jacob Leach. Stewards also seized the mobile of Ben Currie. There are mixed reports whether Billy Healey handed over his phone or not. Sources close to the action claim he told Stewards that he would only hand over his mobile if granted immunity from being charged under the Rules of Racing.
This turns the affair into a whole new ball game when charges are mentioned out of the blue. There are some clouded issues in what Ben Currie is allowed to do or not to do in a role of Racing Manager.
Archie Butterfly, on his extremely informative website peterprofit.com explains this situation better than we can:
UNDER the Australian Rules of Racing a trainer is defined as a person licensed or granted a permit by a Principal Racing Authority (in this case the QRIC) to train horses and includes any person licensed to train as a training partnership.
Currie does not hold a trainer’s license (and if reports are correct has now been refused a stablehand’s licence) which LGHR assumes means he can have nothing to do with the preparation of horses anywhere.
At the Healey stable he was operating as a Racing Manager and as Archie explains ‘therein lies the fundamental issue’. There is no definition in the Rules of what a Racing Manager can – or cannot – do.
So the question becomes: If Currie is not a trainer, and is employed by a company (stable) that he does not own, then where are the boundaries of what he is allowed to do or not to do?
The further question then becomes whether Currie, who is a Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Exercise Science, and a former premiership winning trainer in his own right, can give the trainers or owners of horses that he manages (on behalf of the stable that employs him) directions as to how these horses are worked or raced.
Archie says ‘it would appear ludicrous if he was not able to’ a theory that the Perry Mason of racing will no doubt pounce upon when he once again attempts to haul Ben Currie out of the quicksand.
It might be a clouded area but LGHR – and many others – do not agree and believe that the QRIC has the right to refuse Currie a license – even at stablehand’s level – if they have legitimate concerns about complaints they have received from rival trainers about when way Ben operates and can prove those to be correct. LGHR is not suggesting anything illegal on Ben’s part but others are and they now need to produce evidence to support their claims.
Caught in the crossfire in this messy controversy is Jim Murdoch, the gun for hire KC, who has upset some of his colleagues (Jim is a successful hobby trainer) for fighting to get Ben Currie back in the game when they don’t want him.
The other is Kym Daly, who has paid the price for supposedly being witnessed laughing and joking with Ben Currie at a Saturday race meeting in Brisbane during his work as a consultant to the McGrath Review. Kym has subsequently been appointed to the RQ Board, his critics claiming because he was an old school mate of the Racing Minister. That one-off moment with Currie has some saying that he supports Ben’s bid to return to training. It’s drawing a long bow.
LGHR believes the fate of Ben Currie’s future in racing – regardless of how good Murdoch is at his job, rests with what Stewards find on the mobile phones that they have seized. It will need to be pretty damning but time will tell!
HOOFNOTE: We do have a late unconfirmed report that Mr Murdoch is not representing Mr Currie.
EDITOR’S NOTE: KIM Kelly, the QRIC Deputy Commissioner, does not want to comment on the raids for legal reasons at this stage.
